Goodnight
by luvdawinx
Summary: A series of "goodnight fics", which revolve around our favorite SnK characters during the nighttime. Filled with many AUs and possible OOCness. PM if you want to request something. NIGHT 4: They make it to the ocean after so much fighting, but at the cost of a dreamer's fate. "Sleep now, Armin..." (Character death, AU where they make it to the ocean in the end, tragedy is my bæ)
1. Night 1: Sleeping Beauties

|Night 1: Sleeping Beauties|

It started out as a simple get together on Eren's bed. Armin was reading out loud to him and Mikasa a tale of a princess who slept for a hundred years, otherwise known as "Sleeping Beauty". It was a nice story to listen to, a way of taking their stress away from training.

Near the climax of book did Eren doze off, his head falling to the side as he drifted into sleep and into a dream where he was being drawn to a spinning wheel. Normally this was fine, but the problem was that he was sitting up and beginning to tilt towards Armin's side.

"M-Mikasa!" he quietly shouted for the girl's help. "Hurry before we- Whoa!"

_OOF!_

Armin had fallen off the bed thanks to Eren being larger and overwhelming him. Still, Eren was sleeping deeply despite the fall. The other two chose to leave him be, as they were too tired to try and carry him. Instead, Mikasa removed the blanket from the bed and laid herself next to Eren and setting the blanket over them.

"But girls are only allowed in here for a limited amount of time!" Armin whispered. "And you're not supposed to be in here at night!"

"We'll just deal with punishment tomorrow," Mikasa replied, closing her eyes. "Baldy can put up with us when we're awake. Now keep reading."

Despite the risks of getting in trouble, Armin returned to telling Mikasa the rest of the story. By the very end had she fallen asleep, into a dream where she was the knight fighting to save Eren from eternal slumber.

The blonde boy rubbed his eyes and yawned. Mikasa was right, Shadis will just have to deal with them in the morning. He didn't want to ruin the moment. So, he laid his head down on Eren's chest with his book on his own and finally closed his eyes. In his dream inspired by the story, he was at first a fairy arguing with a fairy version of Jean (heavens knows why) about the color of Eren's outfits, and later on he was a knight taking turns with Mikasa to dance with Eren at the ball in the end.

All the boys finally entered their cabin to talk a bit before bed, to find the three best friends asleep on the ground. That meant Mikasa, a girl, was there too. Connie went off to grab Sasha and some other girls, and when the girls saw their position they gushed; well, besides Ymir and Annie of course.

"We should give these three some privacy," Sasha suggested.

She went over and grabbed an extra blanket she found under Eren's bed, along with some string. Christa picked up on her plan and went off to help out, Ymir following just because. Even Annie helped by quietly hammering a nail into the wood from the frames of Jean and Marco's top bunk over Eren and Armin's bottom bunk and another into Reiner and Bertholdt's top bunk across from theirs; she also had to add a second nail to Jean and Marco's bunk and one across from it on the wall. Ymir grabbed the string from Sasha so that she could tie one long strand for both sides of the nails. Christa and Sasha hung up the blankets, Ymir straightening them out so that the three sleeping friends were hidden.

"What do we say if the instructor comes in?" Jean asked, an eyebrow lifted.

"This is where you guys change when you feel indecent," Sasha giggled with a wink. Connie, Bertholdt, and Marco blushed in the background. Being inside the hiding area they set up, she looked down at Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. "Cute~"

That was when the mumbling began.

"'Go towards the light,' it said... 'Touch the needle,' it said..." It appeared Eren was talking about him touching the spinning wheel in his dream.

"Destroy... evil witch..." Mikasa was mumbling about fighting the evil witch Maleficent.

"No Jean... The color of the tunic should be green..." Apparently Armin was being the fairy again, arguing with a fairy Jean about the color of Eren's clothes. "It'll go with Eren's eyes..." They did not have to hear that, so they all just turned to Jean who was defending himself about having no control over what Armin dreams.

The girls agreed that some of them would try, emphasis on try, to wake up earlier than usual to see if they can either wake Mikasa up or carry her, either way having to be done without being caught. For now it was just most of them glimpsing and gushing at how cute the three friends looked before quietly running along to their own cabin.

All of the boys looked down at Eren from over the blanket curtains the girls worked on to hide them. Damn Yeager, looking to them as if he were smug about having people to cuddle with him like this. Most of them got back to their regularly scheduled talking, with some mentions of the three sleeping beauties on the floors. They made sure all the lights were off as they went to bed so that Shadis would not have to yell at them and catch those three. They owed them all big time.

"Jean, where are you?" Marco whispered through the darkness.

"Yeah, I'll be there soon," was the reply.

"Stop trying to watch Mikasa while she sleeps," Connie said. "Even if it is dark your shadow stands out!"

"I'm not watching! Just... keeping an eye out in case the instructor comes."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

"Shut up, Connie!"

"Shut up, Jean!"

"Quiet, the both of you!" Marco butted in.

"Can we quiet down please?" Bertholdt politely asked.

"Let's just go to sleep, guys," Reiner added with a yawn.

"He started it!" Connie and Jean shouted at once.

Now, usually Armin was a deep sleeper, but tonight apparently his sleeping was a bit lighter than normal. He was roused from his sleep, let alone such a wonderful dream, by some quarreling in the darkness. And just be warned that he can be pretty grouchy when he's woken up so abruptly like this. So you can probably tell right now that he was pissed off. He stood up, wrapping the book in his arms before it could fall, and took a deep breath.

"ENOUGH!" he screamed, scaring all the other boys in words that could not be found. "SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!" When he heard silence, he coughed to clear his voice. "Thank you," he said in his usual polite tone, before going back down on the ground to sleep and nuzzle against Eren.

Meanwhile, the other boys were so scared stiff by Armin's sudden awakening and outburst, that even Reiner was on the verge to peeing his pants in fear. However as soon as they all heard his light snores and soft hums, they exhaled at the same time in relief. Believing that it was finally time for bed, Jean returned to Marco having lost the will to watch Mikasa while she sleeps (Connie knew it!) and everyone else just shut up.

They were all still surprised that Shadis had not come by, but they were glad.

"That was intense," Jean whispered to everyone else, to which the others quietly agreed. "Well, goodnight!"

"'Night!"

"DO I NEED TO COME IN THERE AND SHUT YOU ALL UP MYSELF?!" Shadis boomed from outside their cabin.

Armin's eyes snapped open once more, and just when he was about to dance with Eren! He did not know who was yelling nor did he ever give a damn when he was this damned tired, but he was going to make the noise stop one way or another. And so he stood up, Connie and Marco taking notice and whispering his reawakening to the others so they could brace themselves, and he took a deep breath.

"EVERYONE QUIET THE FUCK DOWN OR ELSE I WILL SLIT ALL OF YOUR GODDAMNED THROATS IN YOUR SLEEP AND USE THE SKINS AS BOOK COVERS!" Armin's outburst was so loud and so terrifying, that Shadis knew that he did not have to come inside. He just walked off to check on the girls.

Inside, once the blonde boy was back to sleep, the others could breathe again, allowing them all to finally asleep. They had just learned their lesson- that 1) Armin was a nightmare when he was tired, 2) if he put his mind to it he could be the next Shadis, and 3) never mess with the three sleeping beauties or else who knows what will happen if the other two have woken up?!

And meanwhile in the girls' cabins, the girls were doing a little bit of late night chatting. Their conversation was currently on one of the three sleeping beauties in the boys' cabin.

"Has anyone noticed that Armin sounds so hot and dominating when he's tired and yelling like that?!" Hannah, despite already having a boyfriend, asked, them all being able to hear Armin even from where they were. Her question received a lot of answers of yes. There was also a lot of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' now filling the air, as well as lots of giggling.

"Lights out!" Shadis could be heard yelling at the girls outside.

"Yes, sir!" All the lights went out, but the small giggles remained.

There was no way Shadis was going near that cabin either. Those girls with their strange hormones and an extremely tired Armin combined would be his hell. Tonight was just not his night.

|END|

* * *

So I have a thing for writing what I call "goodnight fics", which are simply short stories about our favorite cadets during the nighttime. Stories will range from K to M I am keeping this Rated M for upcoming chapters. Some will be happy, others sad, lots romantic, etc. etc.

I am a shipper of Eremin with a hint of Jearmin, as well as Connie x Sasha, JeanMarco, Bertholdt x Annie, YumiKuri, Levi x Petra with bits of RivaMika and maybe the teensiest bit of Auruo x Petra. My guilty is Eren x Jean. These are just warnings for what may be seen in the future.

If any of you would like to request something, please PM or review! Flames will not be enjoyed, so flame if you want to be cursed with Titans.

I don't care whether it's morning or night, but goodnight my readers!


	2. Night 2: Hush

|Night 2: Hush|

Armin heard a small cry in the distance. He could hear someone's nose sniffle. It was a sound he was familiar with, for he can recognize the sound of his own cries.

He wandered over the hill, the soft cries becoming louder as he drew closer. On the top of the hill did he see it. It was a young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, sitting on his knees as he cried. Armin felt something click at the sight of his younger self, and continued on towards him.

"What is wrong?" he asked the little one, kneeling before him. "Why are you crying?"

"I-I am so weak!" Little Armin sniffled. "My friends are so good to me, always helping me. But have I ever returned the favor? No! How pathetic of me!"

The older smiled, and picked a white flower nearby. He lifted it up and tucked it behind the younger blonde's ear. Little Armin rubbed away the tears from his eyes and saw how this person looked so much like himself, only older and more confident. He also saw how this Armin was wearing a military uniform and the Scouting Regiment cape. Such a great-looking soldier.

"You will become a brave soldier," Armin told his younger self. "Remember that although you are physically weak you are also mentally strong. You are smart and your plans will save your friends more times than you will think. You are not pathetic, have never been pathetic. It is those who hurt you who are pathetic because they do not realize the great things you will do one day."

"B-But I-"

"Hush." The older blonde embraced the younger in a light, warm hug. "Hush, you may cry but no more doubts. Be brave, be confident, and most of all stay smart. I promise, you will be an amazing soldier one day. I should know."

Little Armin had stopped crying. Instead, he returned the hug and felt his emotions click. This Armin was so brave and smart, such confidence too. He wanted to be like this Armin, this was the kind of person he wanted to be.

He laid his head down on the older one's lap and looked up. As Armin played with his hair the smaller gazed at the clouds, at the beautiful blue sky that matched the color of both their eyes. No more worrying about himself being useless, he was going to be brave. And with that he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"Hush," Armin whispered over and over, his soft voice carried on by the wind. The single word, the wind, both soothed both boys of their worries. Such a peaceful feeling.

* * *

Armin woke up in the morning relaxed and smiling. Unlike the other cadets, who groaned when woken up, he simply rose out of bed and stretched his limbs out. While the others still looked tired while changing clothes and freshening up, he did these things humming a small tune. Today he felt wonderful, had been since he first woke up.

"You seem cheerful today," Eren said during breakfast. "That's good... Had a good dream last night?"

The blonde looked to his friend, his smile growing wider. "Oh, I had a great dream, all right." He was going to stop being useless, stop feeling useless. It would just be a matter of time until he becomes useful to humanity.

* * *

So this is shorter than a lot of stuff that I'll be posting, but oh well, what are you gonna do?

I've been posting these fics beforehand on Instagram, so if you wanna know my username so you can look me up and see any goodnight fics before I post it here just PM me~

I don't care about the time of day, so goodnight my readers!


	3. Night 3: Presents

|Night 3: Presents|

Eren's 15th birthday, a special day Armin had actually been preparing for since the last month, a bit after Mikasa's birthday. He wanted everything to be perfect, because he loved Eren and Eren loved him back. That, and considering this was their last year of training so this might be the last time they could celebrate anything together. But today was not the night to worry about such things. Today was just about him and Eren.

* * *

"Good morning, sleepyhead~"

Eren opened his eyes that morning to find Armin lying on top of him. The two shared a smile, their foreheads touching. Armin kicked it up a notch by pressing their lips into a soft kiss, taking Eren off guard. He pulled back and giggled.

"Happy birthday~" he said. Armin moved off the bed to get ready for breakfast. "You go and get out when you want to. I'll have something special made for breakfast." Once he was fully dressed, he walked out with Connie and Marco.

The brunette blinked and stared up at the ceiling. With everything going by so fast, he had forgotten that today was his birthday. But Armin must have been preparing for a long time, he could tell. He was glad he had such a thoughtful lover.

He eventually got out of bed, dressing at his own pace. Armin said breakfast would be saved for him, after all. Since they were kids he could always trust him. And so he walked to the cafeteria rather excited for what would be awaiting him for breakfast.

"Breakfast~!" Armin exclaimed when Eren came in, holding up a tray. The contents included pancakes with what looks to be blueberries in them, a tiny pitcher filled with syrup, and a glass of juice. He set the tray in front of his lover at the table with a smile. "I got a lot of help from the chefs in the kitchens on how to cook for a while. I was already lucky enough to be given permission to make these."

Eren looked down at his glass of orange juice. "Even the juice?" he asked.

"Even the juice. Now eat up!" He sat in front of Eren and nibbled on a piece of toast with jam on it. With each bite Eren took he watched, in his mind utterly worried that he had made a mistake. All he wants right now is for today to be perfect. "S-So," Armin spoke up, "w-w-what are your thoughts?" He shined a nervous smile.

Eren swallowed and smiled. "Don't worry, everything's great!" he said. "This is very impressive! Here." He jabbed his fork into a piece of pancake he sliced up and held it out in front of Armin's mouth. "You should have some, too."

Armin just stared at the piece. "Y-You sure? I mean, it's your birthday, after all."

"Go on, you deserve it." He stood out of his seat to move the fork closer to the other. "Open up." With a bit of hesitation, Armin opened his mouth and took the piece of pancake. "There you go. Here, let's share."

It was already official that breakfast was a success.

* * *

Armin had been spoiling Eren all through the afternoon. While he usually scolded Eren for copying his work during classes, but today he had them switch notebooks so he could do the brunette's work; he always memorized the class notes anyways. During training whenever they worked together Armin would take things easy, considering he was actually a good runner and so had agility on his side during hand-to-hand combat. For lunch Armin had managed to get ten minutes off of training to start making a stew that actually had beef in it (you can just guess how jealous Sasha was). Eren truly appreciated every bit of what he was given, because he knew everything Armin was doing was straight from the heart.

But this was not the end of his birthday present. Everything that had happened was simply leading up to dinnertime. When Eren entered the mess hall for dinner his friends just guided him to a small cottage found in the forest. Its building was aligned with stone and a wooden roof, smoke lifting out of the chimney and a light protruding from the windows. They left him there as soon as they reached it, wishing him another happy birthday.

He opened the door to look inside. The interior had a cozy feel and was moderately simple, with a large bed in the corner and a rug in the center. Armin stood with his hands behind his back, his body standing out against a fire in the fireplace behind him. In front of him was a small table fit for two people and consisting of two bowls, two plates, two of each utensil, two napkins, two glasses, and a pitcher in the middle. A house meant for a couple.

"Evening, Eren~" Armin sang softly. He stepped forward and pulled out a chair. "Take a seat. Dinner will be ready shortly."

Eren did as he was told and sat in the open seat. The blonde took a ladle from above the fireplace and dipped it into the small pot hanging inside. He blew on it lightly before grabbing the bowl in front of Eren with his free hand and carefully pouring the soup into it. He did the same with his own bowl, only giving himself a slightly smaller portion. After that he put the ladle away and took out a plate with sandwiches sliced into four triangles each, which he set on the table. Finally Armin poured water from the pitcher into their glasses before sitting down across from Eren.

"Isn't this the abandoned cottage we found during a hike once?" Eren asked, to which the other nodded.

"Yeah, our friends helped me tidy it up so I could use it for a private dinner. It's just you and me tonight, if that's alright with you."

"Armin, of course I would be happy to be with just you tonight."

"Okay, just making sure. Now eat up, it's tomato soup. And Sasha helped me make the roast beef sandwiches."

Just like breakfast and lunch, the brunette enjoyed every bit of dinner. Armin had worked so hard just for him, it made him feel guilty for being given all of this. Armin has always been considerate and caring, especially towards him. He knew he didn't deserve such special treatment, but his lover had said it was because it was his birthday. So, he just kept his complaints to himself, feeling so thankful for even being with Armin in the first place.

After dinner Armin had washed the dishes and put all leftovers in a picnic basket, with the soup in a tiny barrel and the sandwiches wrapped in napkins. He refused all help from Eren, saying it was because it was his birthday and so he shouldn't have to put up with any work. When everything was tidied up he had Eren sit on the bed for a last surprise.

"Dessert!" Armin exclaimed with joy. He had been waiting all day for the grand finale to this special day. He twiddled with his fingers behind his back while Eren looked around confused.

"Where's dessert?" Eren lifted an eyebrow. All of a sudden he found his lips pressed with Armin's. He melted into it and kissed back immediately. The blonde smiled into the kiss and pushed him gently back until Eren's back was against the mattress, never breaking the lip lock. Eren was ready. So, he slipped his hand into Eren's trousers, causing the brunette to gasp.

When they broke apart, the one below looked up at Armin's little smirk. "What was that?" he asked.

"Silly Eren~" Armin giggled, a blush tainting his cheeks. "I'm dessert!"

His hand within the other's pants moved into his underwear and grabbed him, moving in slow, circular motions. At the same time Armin peppered his neck and collarbone with light kisses and bites which would hopefully not leave too many marks. Eren's head began to toss side to side, his moans growing louder with each passing second. He had always been one to be easily aroused just through teasing.

It was just a couple minutes into Armin "seducing" Eren when the one on top felt Eren harden. He removed his hand from out of Eren's trousers, causing the other to moan in protest, and sat up on his knees with his legs on either side of Eren's. The first to come off was his black vest, and then the white shirt underneath. Keeping his pants on for a while longer, he worked on removing Eren's clothes.

Pulling off his light brown shirt was easy with Eren moving compliantly. Armin leaned down to kiss one area on his chest and suck on another. Eren panted from his ministrations, gasping when he felt Armin lick and suck on a nipple. He reached above his head and clenched at the pillow he was lying on.

"A-Armin," he moaned. "Armin, I-"

The blonde placed a finger on his lips to shush him. "Don't complain, just focus on the feel."

He shifted his position so that he was still on top but his knees were above Eren's head. He reached out and tugged on the waistbands of both his pants and his underwear, pulling it down as far as he could. Eren hissed when his hot member sprung out to meet the air, which was warm because of the fire but still cooler than the high temperature his body had reached from being turned on.

Armin wrapped his fingers around his member and moved his hand up and down. Up and down. Up and down. He played with the head between his index finger and thumb, and rubbed the slit a few times. Down below Eren was gasping, turned on by everything Armin was doing to him. He nearly screamed when Armin licked him all over and then set his mouth over him. Armin had always been the better at giving blow jobs.

Eren opened his eyes, green orbs fogged by lust, to look up. Armin's still hardening member was right above him, the head teasing him by dangling near his lips. He reached up and rolled down his pants and underwear until they were at his knees, and he could feel Armin gasp against himself when his member was exposed. This was his chance to make Armin feel good, to show him that he was thankful for all that he had done today. And so, he grabbed Armin with both hands and licked him a few times before putting him fully in his mouth, sucking the member to the best of his abilities.

At the same time, the blonde quickly removed his mouth from the other's member. "E-Eren!" he gasped. "No, you d-don't have to do tha-!" He exhaled multiple times when he felt Eren swirl his tongue against him. He could not, nor could he ever, deny the fact that this felt so good. To keep himself quiet, he continued to suck Eren off.

They continued like this for several minutes, pleasuring each other at the same time; feeling each other moan and breathe against each other's cocks; Armin treating this as a present for his lover, and Eren returning the favor as a way of showing he was thankful. And when they came at the same time, they continued until they were hard again. As long as Armin was at it, Eren would be at it as well.

When Armin pulled away he lifted himself up, taking his member out of Eren's mouth in the process. He moved once more until he was almost sitting on top of Eren around the legs. Almost. He placed three fingers in the brunette's mouth, gathering up as much saliva as he could before taking them out and positioning those fingers behind him. Eren figured out where this was going.

The blonde penetrated himself with his wet index finger first, letting out a noise which sounded like it was between a gasp and a moan. Such an erotic sight Eren was watching. He paid attention to how the finger moved in and out of Armin; how Armin concentrated on guiding each finger into himself, making Eren want to touch himself as he watched but he kept his hands away.

Once Armin figured he had prepared himself enough, he braces his hands against the bed in front of him by Eren's waist. He is careful when inserting his lover's cock into himself, slow enough so that he would not hurt himself. The one below moaned, almost wanting to cum from just the feeling of being inside Armin and feeling around his tight, heated walls. Bright blue eyes clouded with want stare at him, lighting up when Eren nods which means it was okay to start.

Using the strength in his legs Armin lifts himself up and down in what is at first a slow and steady rhythm. Eventually he moves faster in hopes of presenting the increasing friction the two wanted so badly. Eren tries to help but thrusting into Armin each time he came down, earning wanton moans in response that encourage them both to continue for a little while longer.

Suddenly the one on top pauses to open his mouth, yet no words come out. A silent scream. And then panting breaths. Eren's member has found his prostate, sending shocks of wondrous pleasure throughout his entire body. The brunette thrusted up again in the same direction and hears a loud moan. He wants Armin to feel good like this some more.

Eren pushed himself up and wrapped his arms around Armin's waist. He thrusted into his prostate again and again. Armin, losing control of what he was doing, wraps his arm around his lover's neck and buried his face into his shoulder, eyes shut tight.

"Y-You shouldn't be doing this," Armin whispered between labored breaths. "It's your birthday so I should be the one making you feel good." His face reddens, as if it hadn't been since the beginning.

"But it's my birthday," Eren replied, thrusting once into Armin's prostate to hear him moan in order to quiet him down. "You've done so much for me already, even before today, so I should return the favor. Besides..." He changes their positions so Armin was lying down on the bed and he was on stop, still connected. "... it makes me happy when I know you're happy too."

"T-Then... please d-don't stop..." Armin admitted. "I-I-If you're happy with this, then please don't stop."

"Of course I won't."

And with that they started again. Armin held on to Eren as the brunette moved in and out, hitting his prostate every time. The erotic sound of skins colliding and rubbing against each other added on to their loudening moans and gasps. Eren, wanting to give Armin as much pleasure, reached down between their bodies to grab his cock and stroke it along with the thrusts. Beads of sweat dripped from their foreheads, some mixing together as they shared a deep kiss in which their tongues played in each other's mouths. It was all these things happening at once which drove them over the edge.

Like earlier, the two came at the same time. The white sticky substance sprayed from Armin onto both of their chests and some into Eren's hand, while Eren had cum inside of his blonde lover. Eren carefully took himself out, coming out with a soft pop, and collapsed beside him and the two just stared at each other with loving glints in their eyes. Although they were dirtied from their "naughty time", this did not matter to either of them at the moment right now; besides, there's a washing bin in the corner so they could just clean up in the morning.

"Today has got to be the best birthday ever," Eren smiled, cuddling with Armin. "And you have given me the best birthday presents ever."

"Well, there's still the little cake I've hidden in the picnic basket," Armin replied, wrapping his arms around the other's waist. "I thought if we had time and energy afterwards we could have some." He let out a yawn. "But I suppose we can just have it for breakfast or as a special treat for tomorrow."

"Yeah, let's do that." Eren moved so he could pull the blankets over them. He planted a soft kiss on Armin's forehead and then one on his lips. "Goodnight, Armin. Love you."

"Love you too, Eren. Happy birthday..."

As the fire died out on its own, the two lovers slept happily in the night. Armin had really outdone himself this year.

Now all that's left is for Eren to begin planning for his birthday in nine months.

* * *

I originally wrote this for Eren's birthday, but I never got around to publishing it here after I posted it on Instagram. If you wanna see my fanfics beforehand, just PM me~

And remember, I'm also up for requests! PM me any requests for any pairing and any genre (Disclaimer: I will not do Ereri/Riren).

I don't care about the time of day, so goodnight my readers!


	4. Night 4: Starry Seas

|Night 4: Starry Seas|

"Look at the ocean, Armin. We made it. After so much fighting, we've finally made it..."

Eren caressed Armin's strands of blonde hair. His hair reminded Eren of the color of the sun, whether it was sunrise or sunset. But at this time of day, it was night and so a sea of stars filled the sky. The moonlight made Armin's hair look like a pale gold, and his skin milky white. His eyes were closed as his head was laid on Eren's lap, but if his eyes were open he would be able to see the stars.

"Can you hear the ocean in your sleep?" Eren asked Armin. "Hopefully you can, for it is a beautiful sound." Indeed, the lapping of the waves were like a soothing lullaby. "And this view, so amazing..."

The stars fit into the scene perfectly, the way they reflected in the clear waters down below. It looked as if there were two celestial oceans, or two seas of stars. Either way it looked beautiful. Armin should be awake at the moment, but traveling all this way here was so tiring that he had to sleep. One glimpse of the ocean, and then after that he had closed his eyes.

Mikasa strode across the soft white sand to where her two friends were, by the edge where the water lapped against the sand but far enough to not get wet. She looked up at the moon, then the stars, and finally the sea. Armin was right, it is a majestic view worth fighting for.

"The ceremony is going to begin soon," she informed Eren. "We should get ready."

"Right," Eren said, "just... let me wake Armin up." She nodded, and stepped back a few paces to let Eren "wake Armin up".

The brunette looked down, his smile turning sad. "Wake up now, Armin." He gently lifted Armin's eyelids open with his fingers, revealing the lifeless orbs of fading blue. "It's time for the ceremony, and you'll be one with the ocean soon." Like how he opened the blonde's eyes, he closed them too.

He looked at the rest of Armin's body, especially at the area on his waist where blood was drying after having seeped through the bandages earlier...

* * *

Armin held his side tightly in hopes of slowing down the bleeding as Eren helped him limp to their destination. They had encountered the last horde of Titans on their way here, which resulted in his fatal injury. One of them had knocked him unconscious and bit through the left side of his waist, causing him to bleed heavily. Thankfully his friends were around to save him and tend to his wounds, even though it appears the bandages were not enough. They suggested turning back, but Armin had told them that the ocean was a view worth fighting for.

And he was right. Once they had made it they were met by a glorious sunset, a wide range of colors in just one scenery. It was as if a painting was set right in front of their eyes.

"Eren, we made it," Armin told Eren through labored breaths. His breathing was becoming shallow. "After so much fighting, so much hardship, we finally made it." He turned to his friend and hugged him. "It's so beautiful, more beautiful than I could have ever imagined!"

"I told you that we were going to make it," Eren replied. "Without your dream, I don't think I would have been able to keep fighting." He fought for Armin, he fought for the dream Armin had shared with him. Suddenly, he felt the blonde growing limp in his arms. "A-Armin? Are you okay?"

"I'm tired, Eren. Without you telling me to keep going because we were so close, I don't think I would have been able to survive for this long. May I close my eyes now? May I finally go to sleep?"

Eren tried to keep smiling, but he did not resist the tears falling down his cheeks. "O-Of course, A-Armin, whatever y-you want." It was not like he was going to survive with these injuries anyways. "Where do you want to... l-lie down?"

"On the sand, just the both of us staring at the ocean together. I want... to lie on your lap and fall asleep to the ocean." He smiled through his own tears. "That's... all I can request now."

The two walked closer to the water, their footsteps and Armin's blood making a trail in the sand. Eren sat on his knees and helped Armin lie down, resting his head on his lap. Both were crying silently, but smiling through it all. This was how Armin wanted to spend his last moments, dying with his best friend holding him in front of the ocean, his dream.

As he felt his vision growing blurry, from both his tears and from death brushing over, he looked up at Eren and reached out with his hand, stained with blood from failing to stop the bleeding, to touch his face. "The last thing I want to remember before sleeping is your face, even more than the ocean for that has burned into my memory already. I want to memorize every single detail of you, the one who helped me get here." The brunette covered his hand with his own, still smiling; he knew that if Armin wants his ace as the last thing he sees, he will want to see a smile.

For a while they stayed like this, looking straight into each other's eyes and smiling. When Armin removed his hand from Eren's face and it fell to his side, he closed his eyes with an even wider smile. He laughed a little. "Thank you, Eren... for helping me fight for my dreams. I'm happy Eren... So happy..." He exhaled one last time.

But Eren wanted to keep the dream alive. He started talking about it, in hopes Armin could still hear him. Whether or not his words would actually be heard, he did not care. He remained like this for hours, until the sun had gone down and night had come.

* * *

Eren knew it was okay to start crying out loud now, but he refrained from it. He stayed away from the option until Mikasa removed Armin's limp body from his hold. He finally caved into his sadness and screamed, his head touching the sand as he crouched over. Over and over he screamed Armin's name until all his tears were gone. Behind him, away from the sand, his friends watched him break down, feeling terrible and sorry for him. He had lost his best friend, after all.

When he rose up he dragged himself away from the sand, away from the ocean, his feet feeling heavy. Mikasa, having laid Armin on a bed of dead twigs surrounded by rocks, went over and guided him to the rest of his friends. They tried cheering him up by saying that Armin was going to be fine, that he was in a better place now.

"Go and say something before we cremate him," Levi spoke up, not wanting to look at any of them. He just did not want to face the sadness he can relate to from losing his own friends.

Eren sniffed and nodded. For his ashes, Armin requested that a part should be sprinkled in the sea and the rest be put in Eren and Mikasa's possession. He said it was so his soul remained with them, but he would be able to be connected to the ocean as well.

He knelt before Armin, grasping at his hand. "Sleep now, Armin," he said, "for you can rest peacefully now that you have seen the ocean. You have succeeded in fighting, and even dying, for the world you yearned to see. Sleep now, under the stars and by the ocean that was the dream you wished to chase all these years. Sleep now, Armin..."

|END|

* * *

You guys want to kill me now, huh? Go ahead and try, but I will end up regenerating or maybe even send my soul to a reincarnation so that I can continue writing.

So don't judge me. I happen to like taking people's feels and stomping them into ashes. Try asking people on Instagram, they know my wrath. Oh wait, you don't know my Instagram. You can PM me if you wanna find out~

I'm trying to find inspiration for a JeanMarco or Jearmin goodnight fic, but sadly my imagination can only think of Seme!Armin x Eren. Don't judge me, I think it's hot.

I don't care about the time of day, so goodnight my readers!


End file.
